Earlier this year, Chicago found itself with a hot new tourist attraction: the rat hole. Gaze upon it!

[Photo credit: Winslow Dumaine]

Though this rat-shaped hole had existed for multiple decades, it went hugely viral back in January. That led to an explosion of attention for what some called the eighth wonder of the world, probably.

The attention, however, quickly grew old for neighbors who complained about visitors at all hours, sometimes leaving coins and other items scattered across the sidewalk.

Can you imagine it? There you are, living a quiet, blissful life in your dream home with fantastic proximity to the little-know rat hole, when word of this secret treasure spreads like wildfire. Suddenly, your neighborhood is nothing but tourists at all hours. It’s a nightmare!

To end the chaos, or possibly just because the sidewalk was “damaged”, the rat hole has been removed. Its final fate remains to be seen:

Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation, said the square of sidewalk “containing the famous ‘Chicago rat hole’” is now in temporary storage.

She said that where the slab of sidewalk, which has an impression resembling the outline of a rat — claws, tail and all — will eventually end up is expected to be a “collaborative decision between the city departments and the mayor’s office.”

I can only echo the words of the great Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., who famously said “That belongs in a museum!”.